Dublin Whiskey Distillery Gets Huge Funding Boost

In order to establish the Dublin Whiskey Distillery Company in Europe, the company raised more than €400,000 (US$446,887) through a crowdfunding campaign.

Notes from an insider report, over 260 investors contributed €433,469 (US$484,256) to the Dublin Whiskey Distillery Company’s crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube. The donors allocated funds exceeding its original target of €175,000 (US$195,500).

According to Crowdcube, Lorcan Rossi, a former finance director for Diageo from 1994 to 2004, is behind the revival of Dublin Whiskey Distillery (DWD). The Irish whiskey distillery was founded in 1872 and was once part of the ‘six great distilleries of Dublin’. According to Crowdcube, DWD is one of the oldest distilleries in Dublin.

Dublin Whiskey Distillery Gets Huge Funding Boost

Approximately 44% of the funds raised will be spent on product, 18% on promotion, 14% on overheads, and 24% on cash in the bank. The company owns the DWD global trademarks and other key intellectual property including the ‘Great distilleries of Dublin’ and the ‘enduring Irish spirit’.

In addition to the crowdfunding, the company secured £150,000 (US$198,510) in investment. DWD produces Heritage premium Irish whiskeys, as well as Dublin’s Own, its standard line. Since Q1 of 2024, the company has sold 18,000 bottles of whiskey in Germany, Ireland, and Ukraine. The fastest-growing spirits category in the world is Irish whiskey, which is estimated to generate US$8.5 billion in sales in France, the UK, and Germany by 2023.

Rossi, founder, and CEO of DWD, shared in a Crowdcube update: “The ambition is to build upon this momentum and grow case sales to 13,000 over the next 12 months by expanding our distribution into two or three large European markets including the UK, France and Poland. By doing so we can then clearly demonstrate that the DWD consumer franchise is real and scalable.

“This key milestone will then allow us to bring on board a strategic trade investor to enable the brand to break out across Europe and into the US.”